BuzzSugar

2012: Apocalyptic Good Times

BuzzSugar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:30:00 -0800

In terms of end-of-the-world movies, 2012 packs it all - a love story, teary family moments, action-packed adventure, over-the-top-CGI, and a ton of recycled film cliches - in a two and a half hour package. That's lengthy by today's standards, but I wasn't bored for a minute. This is pure escapist entertainment.

The film opens in 2009 as a scientist in India and his American associate Adrian Helmsley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) discover that the Earth's core is overheating. His forecast: Tectonic plates will shift, thereby causing a worldwide catastrophe that will wipe out the human race.

Dun, dun, dun! (Doesn't take long to pull you in, does it?) To hear my full assessment, read more.

The real action goes down three years later in 2012 when, according to the Mayan calendar, the Earth will reach its end. The entire So-Cal coast starts crumbling, so our hero Jackson Curtis (John Cusack) and his family begin a journey to China where the governments around the world have supposedly assembled spaceships to carry select humans to safety.

What? You expected this to be plausible?

Of course not, but the film does include tons of cool CGI - volcanos, snow storms, giant tsunamis. It's like every disaster movie you've ever watched combined. (That should come as no surprise seeing as how the director is Roland Emmerich who created The Day After Tomorrow, Independence Day, and Godzilla.)

As for the characters, we've seen them all stereotyped in other films before, but they're still enjoyable here. (Even though I admittedly winced over a Russian family complete with a fur coat, tiny dog, and an employee named Sasha.) This is thanks to the actors who play their parts with believability, even when the scenes feel ridiculous. Ejiofor portrays a great bleeding heart swept up in a governmental plan that's looking out for No. 1, and Cusack pulls off his father role without being over-the-top or sappy. Also, watch for Woody Harrelson as a nutty conspiracy theorist living in Yellowstone National Park.

2012 is purely meant to be fun, and it succeeds. There's a constant barrage of cliff-hanger moments that never let up, and though you pretty much know where things are headed, it's easy to get sucked in.

(Don't forget that if you see a movie that you'd like to review, you can post your write-up in the Movie Review Group in Community - I may even post it here on the site!)

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures

Buzz News Roundup, 4/29

BuzzSugar — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 13:30:24 -0700

Chris Noth and the other men of Sex and the City - Evan Handler and David Eigenberg - are officially signed on for the Sex and the City sequel. - E!
Amanda Peet has joined Jack Black in the modern-day Gulliver's Travels movie. - The Hollywood Reporter
Sit Down, Shut Up is the latest show to be moved out of its time slot; it will now air Sundays at 7. - TV.com
Two bits of animation news: Wallace and Gromit creator Aardman Features is at work on two new films, while a children's book series by Ricky Gervais is also coming to the big screen. - Variety
Rick Springfield will guest-star as himself on the upcoming season of Californication. - Entertainment Weekly
Creed is reuniting for an album and tour. - Billboard
NBC has renewed the Celebrity Apprentice for 2010. - Zap2it

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X-Files: I Want to Believe: Sadly, a Disappointment

BuzzSugar — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:30:07 -0700

You can count me among the fans - but not the super-fanatics - of The X-Files when it aired in the '90s. I may not have been as insane about it as others, but I kept up with the weird, spooky drama and I looked forward to new episodes. Plus, Gillian Anderson's character, Dana Scully, is a strong, female sci-fi heroine of sorts, and I really looked up to her at the time. Oh, and of course David Duchovny's Fox Mulder was definitely crushworthy so all in all, it was a highlight of my TV-viewing universe. This is why I had nothing but high hopes for X-Files: I Want to Believe, and I tried to ignore those pesky questions during the build up to the release like: "Really, ten years later?" and "Will people still, in fact, want to believe?"

I should also point out that this movie has been promoted as a stand-alone story, meaning that even folks who have little knowledge of the series would be able to get on board and enjoy a dark thriller with a compelling mystery. In fact, details of the plot have been kept so tightly under wraps my assumption was that they must have thought of something really awesome to hinge a new movie around - hence everyone's willingness to get back together years after the series left the airwaves.

Which brings me to the bad news first (and I won't give away spoilers): the so-called "mystery" that has been so shrouded in secrecy is truly nothing very exciting. In fact, it hardly stands up to the most mediocre of episodes, which only adds to my perplexity over this movie. Truth be told, I'm pretty bummed out. To see why, read more.

When the movie opens it has been six years in "real time" since we last saw everyone in the series finale, and we learn that Fox Mulder is no longer with the FBI and is a bit of a recluse (well, we're meant to assume this because he is bearded and sits around clipping newspaper articles like a crazy person). Meanwhile, Scully is a surgeon at Our Lady of Sorrows Hospital where she is personally invested in saving a terminally sick boy, to the displeasure of her colleagues.

Also, two FBI agents (played by Amanda Peet and Alvin "Xzibit" Joiner) are feverishly looking for a missing colleague using the help of a psychic priest named Father Joe (Billy Connolly), but they really need the one agent who has experience with this kind of stuff: Agent Mulder. With the help of Scully the FBI pulls him back in and X-Philes will sigh with relief at how quickly he's back to his obsessive ways.

It's Scully who has probably changed the most; she's no longer just a pragmatic voice of reason, but resolute in her unwillingness to "look into the darkness" any longer. A lot of screen time is focused on faith, losing faith, that darkness, etc. Like the television series, it's dark and brooding, but without a strong case to solve all this analysis and back-and-forth between the two former agents is tepid. It's sad to see these two so empty. I missed the occasional wry glint in Mulder's eye and I wanted to see Scully quit dragging her feet and jump on board the case despite her reservations. But between all that angst and a story that's mostly uninteresting (I wish there had been something extraterrestrial about it, or maybe some magic - anything too crazy to believe!) the whole thing is mostly just so-so.

Still, even after all that head-scratching and some boredom, I love Mulder and respect Scully and I suppose after such a mediocre return to the X-Files that's probably the silver lining. Which is to say: it could have been worse but I wish it were so much better.

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox

Buzz News Roundup, 6/13

BuzzSugar — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:45:42 -0700

George Clooney will produce and possibly star in The Tourist, an international spy thriller, Variety reports.
Jason Priestley wants a job on the new 90210 - but as a director, not an actor, TV Guide reports.
Amanda Peet will star alongside Chiwetel Ejiofor in the post-apocalyptic film 2012, according to Zap2it.
Natasha Bedingfield will open for New Kids on the Block on the band's reunion tour, Billboard reports.
The Futon Critic has details on Dating Brad Garrett, the actor's new online dating series.
JJ Abrams' upcoming series Fringe is getting a comic book prequel before its September premiere, ComingSoon reports.

Coldplay's new album is selling well in the UK ahead of its Tuesday release in the US, Reuters reports.
Warren Beatty has received a lifetime achievement award from the American Film Institute, the Associated Press reports.

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New Trailer for The X-Files: I Want to Believe

BuzzSugar — Mon, 12 May 2008 10:32:21 -0700

OK, X-philes, ready for the most exciting one minute and 30 seconds of your day? There's a new, official trailer out now for the upcoming X-Files movie and it's pretty great. There's more of what we saw in the teaser trailer (Billy Connolly being spooky, people frantically digging in the snow, etc.) but there are also more details and the creepiness factor has been upped.

Also, I'm convinced that the eerie theme music that goes with The X-Files can rival other recognizable theme songs and movie scores for its ability to create instantaneous chills.

The X-Files: I Want to Believe opens in theaters July 25. To check out the new trailer, read more.

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X-Files 2 Cast Gets Three More

BuzzSugar — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 13:30:18 -0800

Three people I would never think to see in the same room together:
The cast of the X-Files sequel just got a little more random with the addition of Amanda Peet, Scottish comedian Billy Connolly and rapper/Pimp My Ride host Xzibit.

Further information is being "closely guarded."
Details on these folks' characters in the movie are scarce, though we do know Peet and Xzibit will play FBI agents working alongside David Duchovny's Fox Mulder and Gillian Anderson's Dana Scully. There were no hints about what Connolly is doing in this film.

So . . . that's it?
That's it for now. Apparently "details of the plot remain a closely guarded secret," though "what we do know is that unlike the first X-Files feature in 1998, the new film will avoid the series' abstruse mythology and instead work as a standalone installment about some kind of supernatural mystery."

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Martian Child: Cutesy and Sweet

BuzzSugar — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 08:30:00 -0700

The premise for Martian Child is almost unbearably adorable: a sci-fi writer adopts a little boy who thinks he is from Mars. The writer is a lonesome widower searching for meaning in his life. The little boy is an odd duck outcast with a tendency to steal things. The quirky duo provide each other with companionship and love.

Basically, that's the story. It's not particularly layered or nuanced or deep. What makes it compelling are the actors who bring brightness to these fairly cut-and-dry roles. The boy playing the painfully awkward Dennis has this wispy high-pitched voice that is so strange-sounding you sometimes wonder if he really is an alien. Cusack, having become this year's Gloomy Dad of the Year (what with Grace Is Gone and 1408) manages to still garner sympathy with the same puppy-dog faces he always uses. It's not the most outstanding film ever, but it's sweet enough, and to find out why, read more

Cusack plays David, the widower novelist whose popular sci-fi book is being turned into a movie. He's also received an advance to write the sequel to said sci-fi book, but can't seem to get inspired to do so, despite pressure from his anxious agent (Oliver Platt) and hard-nosed publisher (Anjelica Huston). David decides to follow up on his late wife's dream of adopting a child. Enter Dennis, a pale, slight boy who is utterly convinced that he was brought to Earth by Martians to study Earthling life. He shies away from the sun and wears a weight belt, lest he float away.

The two guys seem perfectly suited for one another, mutual love of all things outer-space and all. In some ways they help each other, but there are some bumps to navigate, including the doubts of the children's services people that David can effectively parent a child as "troubled" as Dennis.

It's definitely not a subtle work. There seems to be a fondness for references to feeling like an "alien" in human society (i.e. doesn't everyone feel different sometimes, and therefore, don't we all relate to Dennis?). For the more dense audience members, a Hammer of Clarity comes down swift and heavy when David's publisher plainly asks upon learning that he didn't write the sequel that they agreed upon, "Why can't you just be what we want you to be?" Cue the string music and the look of dawning realization on David's face that he and his strange adopted son are not so different after all. Neither of them are meeting the expectations of their fellow Earthlings.

And there are moments, such as a way-too-long climactic scene toward the end that are so overly sentimental they easily give the Hallmark Channel's made-for-TV movies a run for their money. Indeed, the "cheese factor" is pretty darn high in this movie, but it's hard to be truly annoyed with such endearing characters. Also, if you're a fan of most anything John Cusack does, you'll probably enjoy the movie well enough. It's no High Fidelity, but it's head and shoulders above Must Love Dogs.

Photos courtesy of New Line

"Studio 60" Returns Tonight

BuzzSugar — Thu, 24 May 2007 08:20:02 -0700

"Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" will be back on the air tonight at 10 p.m., but it's not exactly the victorious return to the schedule many fans were hoping for. NBC didn't pick up the show for a second season, but at least the final six episodes will be airing on TV rather than just online. Interestingly, the show was supposed to air on Thursdays in the first place - until ABC's plans to relocate a pesky little show we like to call "Grey's Anatomy" got in the way.

The set has been torn down, so there's really no hope for the show to return now - but the good news is that six episodes is plenty of time to tie up the characters' stories. The even better news (for me, anyway) is that tonight's return episode guest-stars Allison Janney - better known as Sorkin favorite C.J. Cregg - who I believe can make any show outstanding with her very presence. NBC has a video preview over here, so check it out and let me know if you'll stick with "Studio 60" to the end.

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The Ex: Lame, Except for Jason Bateman

BuzzSugar — Mon, 14 May 2007 06:00:09 -0700

To say that Jason Bateman saves The Ex from collapsing in on itself would be to suggest that The Ex is actually a worthwhile film, which it basically isn't. It's not the worst thing ever, and there are some laugh-out-loud moments (all of which feature Jason Bateman or else another skilled comedian, such as Amy Poehler or Fred Armison), but it's not really worth the price of admission. My advice: Unless you are a die-hard Jason Bateman fan and refuse to miss a thing he does, then you should wait - not until this is out on DVD, but until it's on TBS at some random time like 2:00 PM the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

Zach Braff and Amanda Peet star as Tom and Sofia, a young couple pregnant with their first child. When the baby is born, Tom loses his job and the family move from New York to Ohio where Sofia's father gives Tom a job at his advertising agency. There Tom meets Chip (Jason Bateman), his wheelchair-bound mentor who also happens to still have a massive crush on Sofia from their high school cheerleading days. What follows is a string of SNL-type skits in which Chip tries to sabotage Tom's career, while Sofia learns stay-at-home mothering is not exactly what she wants. There's more to learn about The Ex, though, if you read more

It saddens me to harshly review a movie that stars Jason Bateman, since I believe him to be a kind of comedic magician. But I can take solace in the fact that it's not Bateman himself but the story that's lacking - oh, and the direction, and the editing, and the fact that the boom mike is in more than a few shots, and the utter lack of chemistry between Braff and Peet. The chemistry thing is partially due to the writing, but it's also because Peet comes across as an empty shell of a person.

It appears the original intention was for the focus of the film to be the young couple and the frustrations they face while on the "fast track" to boring-old-adulthood, hence the first title: Fast Track. However, that storyline is muddled and uninteresting, and it seems that at some point the filmmakers decided to concentrate more on Jason Bateman's role, since his is the most compelling performance in the movie.

My assumption is when they completed the film they realized the only good thing about it was Jason Bateman as "the ex," so they changed the title to divert attention from anything besides Bateman and his hilarious antics. Then, still figuring the reviews would be bad, they forbade critics from publishing reviews before the movie released. See, even the studio was wary of this movie, and I think audiences would be wise to follow suit.

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Movie Preview: The Ex

BuzzSugar — Tue, 08 May 2007 14:13:18 -0700

Okay, my trepidation for The Ex has just doubled. Not only has the release date been pushed back several times to finally this Friday May 11, but now this news: I'm allowed to see a pre-screening of the movie this week, but I'm not allowed to review it until next week. Sounds like somebody's anticipating negative buzz!

Yet I can't understand how a movie with such great people (Jason Bateman, Zach Braff, Amanda Peet) can possibly be that bad. I'm intensely curious about this, so check out my review next week, I guess. Until then, you can watch the trailer if you read more

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